Category Archives: Christmas

Last Christmas I learned about a new tool for helping my family focus on Jesus from Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas – and it is VERY cool! It is called Cradle for the King – and the concept is simple. As your family notices the fruit of the Spirit in each other, the manger is created and prepared for Jesus at Christmas. STARTING AT THANKSGIVING is ideal, but you can start any time before Christmas to get the focus of the season where it belongs – on Jesus and the impact He should be having on our lives. Through the book included in the set, children witness a family who joyfully exhibits the spiritual gifts in Galatians chapter five and “prepare the way” for Jesus who finally appears in the cradle on Christmas morning. While it is ideal for families, you can also get a set to give out at church. Check out the Cradle for the King 12-pack. Our family is using this fun tool this season, and I invite you to join us as we prepare for season with a reason! LEARN MORE AT: Cradle for a King available on Kidology.org

Before you watch this incredible new video from Pentatonix, I’d like you to consider something. A professor of mine in Bible college suggested an interesting theory he had about angels based on a textual study of the Bible’s original languages. An interesting fact, that while we often talk about “angelic choirs” or say someone “sings like an angel,” nowhere in Scripture are angels ever recorded as singing. But often, the saints are and we are commanded to! Keep in mind, this is a theory based on an argument from silence. So while we can’t say the Bible says “angels can’t sing,” – there is no evidence that they can in the original languages of the Bible. As Dr. James used to say, I will also say, “I sure hope they do! I bet they are amazing.” The point is simply that perhaps singing was a gift given uniquely to humans as a means of worship? Note, in Job 38:7, states that on the first day of creation, the angels “shouted for joy.” Consider that the classic Christmas play scene of children dressed as singing angels (as adorable as it is) doesn’t match the biblical text where the angels were “praising …

Want to win a FREE copy of What’s in the Bible’s Why Do We Call in Christmas? I know you do. And not just because it’s free, but because anything created by Phil Vischer and his team you know is going to be fun, engaging, educational and pretty easy to use. Let’s face it, Christmas is filled with a lot of fun, but confusing stuff! Cutting down trees, eggnog, hanging stockings, that Santa character, and more. Somewhere in the midst of it there is a Nativity Scene too. This December, I highly recommend you take your kids on an adventure with Buck Denver* and the gang to explore the true meaning of Christmas like never before. What I love about What’s in the Bible is that it’s not just fun, but tackles stuff that many curricula ignore or overlook – deep stuff even – but does it in a way that captures kids eyes and hearts while engaging their minds. This 4 week series includes customizable lessons in addition to the great videos, helpful leader guides, printable games and activities, take home cards, and more. And get this: Online access lets you lead from your iPad! How cool is that!? …

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I was invited to be a special guest again at Cherry Hill Community Church, where they have a wonderful children’s ministry. Whenever you are given the opportunity to teach at Christmas time, it presents a unique challenge. You are, of course, teaching the greatest story in HIS-Story – but it is also a very familar one. So how do you tell it in a new and creative way that will still engage children who can easily “check out” when they start to hear the familiar parts of the story. I searched my computer for countless ways I have addressed Christmas in over twenty years as a children’s pastor – and then walked into my vast kidmin prop warehouse and started seeing things that could be used to tell the story! At the same time, as I prayed about it, I was wanted to elevate the story above the mere facts of the traditional story to WHY did God sent Jesus? The story is truly epic and transcends the birth of Christ from the origins of time all the way to Christ’s Resurrection all the way to today! Then it hit me! Why don’t I tell the ENTIRE STORY OF CHRISTMAS …

My favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Carol. by Charles Dickens. But not just any telling of it. It has to be the The Muppet’s version. (1992) It is truly the best version ever made. If you have not seen it, you must. Even if you aren’t in kid’s ministry and yes, even if you typically don’t like puppets. It is as touching as it is funny. And Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat, as narrators make the movie. They are simply hysterical. Micheal Caine does a great job as the Scrooge as well. Of course, Kermit and the Gang all do great filling in the rest of the cast. So, in 2004, I created my own parody of the movie in ToyBox Tales fashion. If you are not familiar with ToyBox Tales – for several years I performed stories with action figures on a set in front of a live audience of kids at my church as a way to introduce lessons or re-introduce familiar stories in a new and fun way. (From 2001-2005) Long before the phrase “going viral” existed, the videos I made “went viral” and as people found them on my church website and I was forced to …

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Karl Bastian is the founder of Kidology.org and host of KidminTalk.com.
He is a children's pastor, speaker, entertainer and an equipper & encourager of those who minister to children.
Learn more about him at: Who is Karl? Connect at the social links below: